Apparatus and methods are known for accessing a patient's vasculature percutaneously, e.g., to perform a procedure within the vasculature, and for sealing the puncture that results after completing the procedure. For example, a hollow needle may be inserted through a patient's skin and overlying tissue into a blood vessel. A guide wire may be passed through the needle lumen into the blood vessel, whereupon the needle may be removed. An introducer, procedural, or femoral sheath may then be advanced over the guide wire into the vessel, e.g., in conjunction with or subsequent to one or more dilators. A catheter or other device may be advanced through the introducer sheath and over the guide wire into a position for performing a medical procedure. Thus, the introducer sheath may facilitate accessing and/or introducing various devices into the vessel, while minimizing trauma to the vessel wall and/or minimizing blood loss.
Upon completing the procedure, the device(s) and introducer sheath may be removed, leaving a puncture extending between the skin and the vessel wall. To seal the puncture, external pressure may be applied to the overlying tissue, e.g., manually and/or using sandbags, until hemostasis occurs. This procedure, however, may be time consuming and expensive, requiring as much as an hour of a medical professional's time. It is also uncomfortable for the patient, and may require the patient to remain immobilized in the operating room, catheter lab, or holding area. In addition, a risk of hematoma exists from bleeding before hemostasis occurs.
Various apparatus and methods have been suggested for sealing vascular punctures resulting from such procedures, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,316,704, 7,331,979, 7,335,220, and 7,806,856, and U.S. Publication Nos. 2007/0231366, 2008/0082122, 2009/0088793, 2009/0254110, 2010/0168789, 2010/0274280, and 2010/0280546. The entire disclosures of these references are expressly incorporated by reference herein.
For example, the MATRIX™ product included two synthetic polyethylene glycol (“PEG”) polymer powders that were mixed with appropriate buffers and injected through a femoral sheath at an arteriotomy site, e.g., as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,316,704. The Mynx® Vascular Closure Device is another system for sealing vascular punctures, e.g., as disclosed in one or more of the references identified above, such as U.S. Pat. No. 7,335,220.
Accordingly, apparatus and methods for sealing a puncture through tissue would be useful.